Broly's Second Chance
by Antroopos
Summary: Broly wakes up in a block of ice on Earth. Will he kill the Z-fighters? How will High School life treat him? And how will Broly's presence change the outcome of our beloved series? -Sequel to 'Broly: Before the Legendary Super Saiyan'. You need to read it first! -Please fill out my Poll for who Broly should be paired with!
1. Lost in the Echo

_Ugh... What was that... incessant... wailing? Was that a baby?_

_'He's a feisty one alright, listen to him wail. That's the Spirit!'_

_'Look he's making Paragus' son cry!'_

_The dark figures looking down on him started laughing. At him. He wanted to punch them, but he couldn't move, and everything around him was blurry. The shadowy figure's laughter became darker, and Broly recognized him all of a sudden._

_'Kakarot!' he furiously roared. And that darn wailing didn't stop either!_

_Only a dark smile appeared on his evil face, and like out of nowhere he was holding a dagger. He was confined, and no matter how hard he tried to struggle, he couldn't get up. Fear struck him as he watched Kakarot raise the dagger._

_'I am not... gonna let you..._ get away with this!'

"KAKAROOOOT!"

With a shock Broly finally woke up from his nightmare. It had felt so real. He'd swear he could still hear the echo's of a crying child. Where was he anyway? Only now he realized he was lying in some kind of icy coffin. How did he get there? And why were his abdomen hurting so much?

In a flash he remembered everything that had happened. How Kakarot had punched him in the gut, how he couldn't find Kakarot after that, how he had fled in the space pod, and then crash landed here. Wherever here was.

He got up out of the ice a bit too fast, causing him to feel very lightheaded. He had to wait until the world stopped spinning around him. Apparently, his body didn't like being frozen in a glacier for... well, however long he had been in there. It could have been days, maybe even weeks. He felt weak and exhausted, but his incredibly loud stomach gave him renewed vigor and purpose. He could only hope there was life on this planet. He had to find some form of civilization, otherwise he would starve to death. When he felt good enough, he took off to the sky.

* * *

"And then this guy that I barely even know comes up to me out of nowhere and says 'I love you'. Can you _believe_ that?"

Videl merely muttered, but it was enough for Erasa to keep chatting. Honestly, she loved spending time with her best friend, but she wasn't really following the story. Her attention diverted to some kind of commotion on the other side of the Restaurant.

"But sir, you _can't_ come in here without a reservation, I'm afraid I must..."

"I _said_ give me some food!" a very tall, muscular guy roared. He angrily slammed his fist on the counter, scratch that, through the counter. Suddenly every one in the building was quiet, and cheesy as it may sound, she'd swear you could hear a pin drop. Even Erasa was silent, and that was unheard of.

"What seems to be the problem?" Videl had jumped out of her chair and was now standing in the middle of the crime scene. Though she was only half the size of the troublemaker, she wasn't afraid of anything. She was the daughter of mister Satan, for crying out loud! This was her one free day where she could kick back with her friends. No school, no crime fighting, or so she had hoped.

"Miss Satan! This... this..._ Hooligan_ thinks he can just_ waltz_ in here dressed in those rags, without even having a reservation, and he expects me to simply_ let it happen_!?" the angry waiter heatedly said. "He doesn't even look like he has any money."

The tall guy only growled in response. He certainly was an interesting character, not wearing a shirt, his pants had tears and holes in 'em, and he himself was covered in cuts and bruises. But the most menacing thing were his eyes. 'They're... empty. Hollow. Hopeless. I've seen that frustration.' She'd recognize it anywhere. 'Been crossed, and lost, and told no.' For some reason, she could sympathize with him, she even felt sorry for him. Any other day she would've kicked some serious butt. Why did she have to be in such a 'nice person' mood?

"He's my guest. Just bill me for anything he orders, _and_ the broken counter."

"B-but, Miss Satan..."

"Just let it be!" She had no patience for all this. All she wanted was some peace and quiet for once. Was that too much to ask for? She sighed deeply as she let herself fall back in her chair.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today, Videl. First you bring me to this fancy restaurant, and then you even stand up for a total stranger!" Erasa's smiled was followed by a wink. "I mean, he _is_ a real cutie and all..."

"Save it, Erasa. People around us are whispering enough as it is."

Erasa was about to say something, but her attention went to something behind Videl. She turned around, only to see the strange guy with a huge tray filled with tons of dishes.

"I guess I should say thank you."

"Yeah... don't ment- Are you going to eat _all that_?"

He sniggered. "I already told the guy to make seconds." Both girls were gaping at him. They had to see this.

"You can come sit with us!" Erasa said, before Videl could say anything.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally sat down with them. Videl couldn't help but stare at this man. He was so... mysterious. She had to find out absolutely everything about him. Their eyes got huge when they saw the incredible speed and skill with which he worked his food into his mouth. Did he even taste anything like this? The girls weren't the only ones staring, more people started pointing fingers and whispering behind their backs. What had she gotten herself into?

"What happened to you anyway? You look like you walked out of a war-zone."

"Oh, don't mind Videl. She's just very... straightforward." That comment made Erasa receive a scowl, but luckily she had a pretty thick skin. "But we're really interested in what happened to you."

"It's complicated." Broly grumbled in between bites.

"Pretty please? We've got time, you know."

Broly sighed. What was it with him and girls? And food. He couldn't say no to either. Alright, fine. But it would be better if he didn't tell them everything. "I remember I crash-landed in the middle of nowhere, and then next thing I know, I woke up in a block of ice."

"Wow, no wonder you're so hungry! You should count yourself lucky, you know. You could have ended up looking a lot worse. Do you need to see a doctor?"

"No, I feel fine." he muttered. "But..." He got an idea. "My memory is a little vague. What planet is this?"

"You're on Earth of course! Are you suffering from amnesia? Maybe you should see a doctor..." Erasa was completely shocked. Videl on the other had, hadn't said much this entire time, but she thought this was all just very peculiar. He was hiding something.

"Earth..." Broly clenched his fists. Something dark had entered in his eyes, Videl noticed. He abruptly stood up, not even having finished all of his food. He already ate more than the girls combined would eat in a week's time, mind you, but still. Apparently something more important had come up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Erasa chirped.

"I'm looking for a man named Goku. I don't suppose you've heard of him?"

Both girls silently shook their heads. Broly growled. "Thanks for the food anyway."

"Wait! I think I can help you!" Videl didn't know why, but he just looked so lost. She wanted to be nice to him. He looked at her expectantly, with his black, captivating eyes. Why did she feel nervous around him? "Well... I work with the local police-force. I'm sure we could find some records there."

Broly had nothing else to go from, so he accepted their help. I mean, they weren't half as bad, giving him food and, who knows, maybe they could actually help him find Kakarot as well. Earth. How ironic. Just when he thought he could take it easy and get back to full health. But apparently an easy life wasn't meant for him. He had a job to finish, and he had silently vowed he wouldn't rest until Kakarot was dead.

"By the way, my name is Videl, and this is my best friend, Erasa."

"Broly."

* * *

"Alright, Videl, I've got three possible matches for the name 'Goku'."

"Thank you, officer." she said, while taking the files from him. "Broly, do you recognize any of these?"

He took a look at all of them, but shook his head every time. "It's not him."

"That's strange... Shouldn't every one be registered in those files, officer?"

"Well... There was one more match-up, but I didn't give it to you, because the man doesn't live anymore. But I'll print it out for you, just a second."

Both girls and Broly were waiting intently for the paper to be printed. Erasa was clearly enjoying the suspense, it was like she was on a little crime-fighting adventure. Broly couldn't help but grunt when he recognized the upside down picture that was slowly being printed._ It was him_.

Videl assumed they found the man they were looking for, judging from Broly's livid expression. She grabbed the paper, and starting scanning through it.

"Let's see here... Son Goku... Married and two kids, yada-yada... Wow, look at this! He's the former champion of the 23rd World's Martial Arts Tournament! And, what's this?... It says he took down the Red Ribbon Army all by himself when he was a little kid! My gosh!... Oh, but it says here he passed away seven years ago, during the Cell games..."

"_What_?" Did Broly hear her right? He died _seven years_ ago? That couldn't be, how could he have escaped from the collision with the comet? He was sure all the space ships had been destroyed during their battle... But what if?... And could it be that Broly was... that he was...

"Is something wrong, Broly?"

"I've... been frozen... for seven years?" He slowly sank to the floor in despair. This couldn't be true... Seven years, plus those years in his father's control... Half of his life had gone by before his very eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it. Not that it really mattered. Now that Goku had paid his debt with his life... And since Dev... His life was now empty. He had no reason to live anymore.

He hadn't noticed Videl sat down next to him, holding his cold arm in her warm hands. "Broly, I won't pretend I have any idea of what you're going through right now. I mean... seven years... If that's really how long you were frozen in a block of ice... Everything you knew must have changed. But Broly, you _can't_ give up. Please. You've got to be strong."

For some reason, her words and warmth inspired him, gave him hope again. The dark cloud of desperation that had formed in his heart was clearing away like fog in the sun. She was right. He couldn't give up. 'I don't back up, I don't back down. I don't fold up and I don't bow. I don't roll over, don't know how. I don't care where the enemies are, I can't fall back, I came too far.' No, he would choose to live and let go. For her, because that's what she would've wanted.

"So... Do you have any idea how old you are?" Erasa wasn't kidding when she said Videl was very straightforward.

"My memories are clearest from when I was still eighteen. After that, everything is blurry."

"So that's why you look older, you're like, what? Twenty-five now? But you still feel like you're eighteen... I'm sorry, I feel so bad for you."

He wasn't lying, but he didn't tell her she was a bit off either. Those years that were stolen. He wanted them back. And here was the perfect opportunity. He could start over again. Do things right.

"Oooh!" Erasa squealed, looking like she had the most brilliant idea ever. Both looked at her, wondering what was going on in that mysterious mind of hers.

"You should come to high school with us!"


	2. Valentine's Day

"Hi, you must be the new guy I've heard so much about! My name is Angela, nice to meet you! Care if I join you for lunch?"

Broly looked at the empty seat next to him, which he had reserved for the only people he knew in this building, but they hadn't shown up yet. Well, it didn't really matter anyways, because the red headed sugar-girl had already taken a seat. This was going to be a long school-day, he thought, seeing she had started chattering again.

He was so glad it was lunch-break, because for some reason, the lesson made him even hungrier than usual. His first day so far was exciting, because everything here was new to him, but it was also very exhausting. I mean, he had never been good at this school-stuff, but they taught them things he had never even heard off. But he wanted to prove to himself, _and_ to Dev, that he could do this, just like anybody else. What would she think if she could see him right now, back in school? Would she laugh? No, she would support him. He sighed. He sure did miss her, still, after all this time.

"Broly, are you even listening?"

Shoot, he hadn't been following her discourse. Conversation wasn't the right word, that involved two parties being actively engaged, and she was chatting way too fast and excitedly for him to keep up with her. He laughed nervously, and luckily, she bought it.

"Oh, by the way, are you dating anyone? Because if you aren't, you should totally take me out sometime! We'd be such a cute couple, everyone would be so jealous if they saw the both of us together!"

Broly didn't know how to reply to the overly sweet girl. He didn't really want to hurt her feelings, not on his first day. But he didn't feel like going out with her either, I mean, he hardly even knew the girl. But his problems all vanished like snow with the arrival of two familiar faces.

"Broly is too busy to be going on silly dates with_ the likes of you_, isn't that right Broly?"

The redhead yelped when she saw who it was. 'I've got to admit, Videl certainly has a ridiculously good sense of timing, it couldn't have been any better.' Broly thought to himself, returning her smile with a grin.

"Scram it, Angela, you're in our seats!"

The girl in question appeared as though she wanted to retaliate, but was probably too frightened to say anything, so she settled with sticking out her tongue and quickly walked away. In all fairness, Videl_ was_ kind of scary. Everyone seemed to be a bit uptight around her, outside of her friend circle.

"Thanks for saving my butt." he said with a smile, as his two new friends sat down with him. "Do you think she'll be alright though?"

Videl growled. "Don't worry about her, she always throws herself all over the new guys."

"On a brighter note, how was your first school-day so far?" Erasa asked sweetly.

"Well, to be honest, it's a lot harder than I thought, I can barely keep up."

"Ow... Well, so far you've done a great job, so I'm sure you'll be alright. Besides, we can help you out after school!" Erasa said with a wink.

He was surprised by these two girls. They were so nice to him. First they paid for his lunch, than they arranged everything so he could attend school, Videl even gave him a place to stay in that enormous palace she was living in, and now they were offering him help with his school work? The odds were stacked in his favor this time around. If his last experience in school would have been anything like this, than he probably wouldn't have quit. Here, no one had been mean to him yet, and he couldn't help but notice how girls were sometimes staring at him, or whispered excitedly behind his back when they thought he didn't notice.

"You don't have to worry about all the school work for a while, 'cause we've got P.E. next, and that's always fun."

The girls started discussing who they wanted on their teams, but Broly was facing a new dilemma. He didn't want to show off his strength here, because he didn't want people to label him as weird or strange. He was hoping he could blend in this time. Should he even play? How much did he need to hold back? How strong were people on Earth anyway?

The buzzer went off, and people slowly started to pack their stuff to continue their schedules. Broly reluctantly followed the girls to the locker rooms, and silently he changed into the special clothes Videl had bought for him. Sleeveless, great, well the whole blending-in went out of the window. He was the last one to get ready, everyone else had already gone out on the field. He was stalling for time, trying to come up with some kind of excuse, but his escape plans, though creative and very tempting, but mostly downright ridiculous, including kidnapping the teacher or him turning Super Saiyan and blowing up the school, were futile nonetheless. There was no way out. He sighed heavily. Fine, he would do this.

He slowly came walking up the chilly February sports-field, hoping no one would really notice him as he made a quiet entrance. Tried to at least. 'Darn it Videl, this is all your fault!' he thought as he sternly kept looking ahead of him, trying to ignore the either jealous or shocked expressions from the guys, and the either dreamy or the... no, just dreamy expressions from the girls.

"Alright class, is everyone here?" the teacher said when he had joined the group. "Today we'll be playing..."

"Hey, nice shirt." Videl whispered smugly.

"Yeah, thanks _a ton_."

* * *

Finally, it was weekend! And _what a week_ it had been. Never in his life did he have to put in a hundred percent and more of his concentration, struggling to follow his teachers. Other than the schoolwork, he still didn't know what to think of Sharpener, one of those popular guys. But at least he wouldn't pick on Broly, perhaps due to the fact that Broly was a good eight feet tall and made out of pure muscle. Then a number of Girls had been hanging around him, trying to get his attention, but all in vain. He didn't know why he wasn't interested, because to be fair, they were quite pretty for human standards. It's just that none of them could compete with Dev in his mind. He knew of course there was no way he could get her back, but he couldn't get over her so quickly either, and dating other girls felt to him like he was betraying her. So he had caused a lot of tears to be shed in his first week. Even Angela had come up to him two more times, trying to seduce him in some very uncomfortable ways. Chills came down his spine as he quickly tried to kick out the mental image of her in her cheerleader outfit. Crazy brawd. Well, at least he could take it easy now. He couldn't help but sigh. Who was he kidding? He had so much homework to do, he would probably be stuck inside for another seven years. But that would be ironic.

"Broly?" A familiar face popped around his door, taking him out of his tired thoughts. He tried to force a smile, not wanting to cause this girl he had gotten so fond of to worry.

"Hey, Videl... what's up?"

"It's just... well... I just wanted to talk, I guess."

Broly nodded, although he had no idea where this was going. Videl went ahead and made herself comfortable on his bed, taking her sweet time, oblivious to his curious stare.

"So?... What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I got to spent quite some time with you this past week, and I've got to say, I'm really proud of you, the way you keep on going so strongly." She paused, but he didn't interrupt her, so she half-heartily continued, trying to find a nice way to phrase her next thoughts.

"Broly, I just keep thinking about you..." He raised an eyebrow, and when she realized what she had said sounded very awkward, she couldn't help but blush.

"No, I don't mean it_ like that!_" she nearly yelled. "What I meant was, I keep thinking about how you, you know... got frozen and stuff!" He was still looking at her questioningly, and she was still blushing.

"I wasn't saying that I like you or anything!" He simply shrugged it off, deciding it wasn't very nice to make her feel this uncomfortable.

"Anyways, I was just curious. What happened to your friends and family? Who is this Goku we looked up for you? How did you get in that block of ice in the first place? And how come you aren't dead, let alone recovered so quickly?"

Broly sighed. He knew this was coming sooner or later. He had no idea what to tell her, though, other than the truth though, but he could never tell her everything. She'd probably think he was a monster. He didn't want to lose his only friends.

"Come on Broly, you can tell me." she continued, when he didn't speak up. He remained silent for a while, but she didn't want to push him too much. Well, she wanted it more than almost anything right now, but used all her willpower to patiently wait for him.

"Videl..." he finally said, his voice sounding cold, kind of unsettling. "Seven years ago... I nearly died in an explosion." He didn't want to be too specific; talking about his Saiyan ancestry was probably not the best idea. "But I managed to escape in the nick of time, and crashed into a freezing lake. And the rest is history."

Videl was eating it up, but she didn't seem to be contend yet. "But what does this Goku hav-..."

"Goku," he harshly interrupted. "was the bastard that started all of this. He... did something unforgivable to me, so I killed him." There was no remorse in his voice at all. He deserved it.

Videl backed away on his bed though, frightened by his dark demeanor. "You... you did _what_?"

"Well, I tried to kill him, but then the explosion came, and he got away."

She was shocked to say the least. She couldn't believe it. Broly... he couldn't have done that. Not without a good reason, at least. He had been so kind and gentle this whole time. "Why?..." was the only whisper that escaped her lips.

Broly closed his eyes, appearing as though it physically hurt him to talk about this. "Goku... Took away the only ray of sunshine in my life." Dark and cold memories he had been running away from for so long played in his head, mercilessly clear. 'A black wind took you away from sight. Another darkness over day.' went through his head as he thought back to that night. "Dev... she meant everything to me... And he _killed_ her!" he roared. Did she imagine it, or did his eyes flicker teal for a second? "But I was too late... I held her in my arms as she..."

Videl couldn't stop a tear or two from rolling down her cheeks. "I am _so, so very sorry_, Broly..." In the blink of an eye she held him in an embrace. He was still sitting in his chair, and she was now curled up on his lap, sobbing against his chest. He was surprised by her reaction. He half expected her to get mad at him or freak out or something.

"You don't think I'm a monster?" he asked after wrapping his arms around her. She looked up to him, with her slightly puffy, sapphire eyes.

"Broly... of course not!" she whispered back.

Their faces were only inches apart, all of a sudden. He could feel her hungry breath, as she closed in. His soul yearned for that familiar intimacy, and he almost let himself go completely. But he stopped millimeters before their lips were about to touch, the memory of his only true love piercing through his foggy mind.

"I'm sorry, Videl." he whispered. "I can't."

Videl pulled back, completely confounded and embarrassed. "No, I mean, uh." she stammered as she got off of his lap shakily. "I shouldn't have. I'm sorry Broly..."

And with that, she quickly excited his room, but he couldn't help but notice tears were running down her face again. He sighed. This was such a mess. He was such a mess. He felt truly sorry for Videl. Another heart broken. But he couldn't help thinking back to his one and only.

"So now you're gone. And I was wrong, I never knew what it was like..." he whispered towards the sky, hoping that somewhere, somehow, she was listening.

"To be alone."


	3. New Divide

"Good morning Videl!"

"Hi Erasa." she said, returning her smile. "Sharpener, Broly."

Sharpener warmly returned the greeting, but Broly only nodded curtly, avoiding making eye-contact with her, but still trying to act casual.

Sharpener looked from Broly to Videl, and back to Broly, wondering what was up. For some reason, for the last couple of weeks Videl had been even crankier than usual, but our detective could feel with his keen sense of conception that something else was wrong.

"Oh_ come on_, Videl! You can't still be mad about the April fools prank we pulled on you the other day?"

She sniggered, remembering the taste of salty coffee again. But that was not the issue. And it wasn't the little incident with Broly that was bothering her either. It was more than six weeks ago since it happened, and they were still friends, acting like nothing had happened, but they hadn't really talked about it with each other since. Videl felt too embarrassed around him, so she kind of started avoiding him, spending a lot more time fighting crime. It had escalated into Broly moving out into his own tiny apartment in the city. She was trying to let go of what had happened, but she still felt like such an idiot.

But it wasn't their messed up friendship that was bothering her this morning, something else had occurred.

"Sharpener, what do you take me for?" she replied, while shaking her head, sitting down on top of her desk. "No, before school, I was going to take care of some bank-robbers, you know, the usual thing." The classmates around her turned silent, and were now hanging onto her lips. They loved her crime-fighting stories. Even Broly was impressed with her, how much courage she had for a human, though he didn't show it. "But when I got there, some kind of mysterious Golden-Fighter had appeared and taken care of the situation. They said he had some kind of superpowers." she heatedly said, while slamming her fist on the table.

'Wait, did I hear her right? A Golden-Fighter with superpowers?' Broly thought to himself. 'No, what does it mean? It can't be a Saiyan, I thought I took care of them all.' Anger he had suppressed for over a month started boiling up inside him again, but with a deep breath he remained calm. He was jumping to conclusions, he'd better not overreact.

"_No way_!" one of the juice-loving teens exclaimed. "Do you know who this guy is?"

Videl shook her head. "It was like he vanished into thin air." The teens looked disappointed. "But the bystanders said he had our school's badge on." The people around her now awed, going off into their own little groups again, trying to come up with some crazy theories and guesses.

"Hey Sharpener, don't tell me _you're_ the Golden-Fighter?"

"Oh, spare me, I don't have time to play superhero! I spend all morning working out my arms." All three raised an eyebrow at him, though he didn't notice, too busy patting his biceps.

"So Videl, do you think this guy could be stronger than your pops?" Erasa wanted to know.

"What a joke! Videl's dad is the strongest there is, he could knock this gold-boy out by flexing his biceps, he's strong!" One of the guys still listening said. Broly couldn't help but chuckle. He had met her father, the so-called strongest man on Earth, but he wasn't even close to impressive. The only thing he was, was proud and obnoxiously loud.

The teacher walked in, clearing his throat, signaling the students to take their seats. "Good morning, my young scholars... Today we are being graced with a new class-member who _actually_ knows how to read! That's your cue, my boy." the teacher told the young man shyly entering the classroom.

Wait, a new class-member who actually knows how to read... _What the heck_! Did he mean Broly with that comment? Prick. Sure, fair enough, he wasn't a genius, but with a lot effort, he still managed to keep up with the rest. No need to be so rude, though.

"Oh, good morning, my name's Gohan. Nice to meet you."

Broly could hear Erasa chirp "Ooh, look at him Videl, he's a cutie!"

"What kind of name is Gohan?" someone else said.

Videl looked at the new guy more closely. "That's weird, he looks familiar..."

Sharpener laughed, being his usual cocky self. "He was probably on a TV-spelling bee!" Broly was kind of surprised with all the different kinds of reactions that came from the class. Is this how they reacted to him his first day here? What's the big deal anyways, it's just a new guy.

"Gohan here made perfect scores on all of his entry exams, English, math, chemistry. Many of you could learn from his example!"

Some kids started jeering, thinking they were funny. Broly wasn't very amused, though. He knew what it was like to be the scapegoat of the school, and memories flashed before his eyes. He felt sorry for this Gohan, even though he was secretly a bit jealous of him being so smart. He came back to reality when Erasa squealed, as she was standing up from her seat, beckoning to the new guy.

"Yoohoo, new boy! Here's one."

"Oh, sure. Thank you!" he said as he nervously walked up the stairs to sit next to Erasa on the other end of their row. Broly noticed how intently Videl was squinting at this Gohan, as Erasa quickly introduced the little group to the new guy, and they all warmly greeted him (as warmly as Sharpener could muster). But their teacher started talking again, so Broly tuned out of the conversation, starting to frantically take notes. He was unaware of a pair of eyes that was resting on him, slowly changing from curiosity to shock as realization hit the new guy in the face, suddenly remembering why Broly looked so familiar.

* * *

Gohan was the last one in the locker room, having waited for everyone else to be gone, not wanting them to see his trained physique. So far, the day had gone by relatively well. Classes were a lot easier than how he had envisioned them to be, even baseball had been enjoyable, save it be for the one little slip up where he caught a ball in midair he probably shouldn't have caught, but luckily, hie could come up with a good enough excuse, so they shrugged it off. Air-cushion shoes. He couldn't help but snigger at how easily he had gotten out of that situation. The best thing was, he had already made a few... well, friends? He never really had friends his age before, so he wasn't entirely sure what to call them yet. Erasa seemed very nice though. And what a coincidence it was to run into the daughter of_ the_ mister Satan, and even ending up in the same class with her! Life sure was full of surprises.

But the biggest surprise and also his biggest worry, was the fact that Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan, was somehow still alive, here on Earth, and _even attending the same school_ as him! If Gohan hadn't recognized the Saiyan's unmistakable energy, he would have thought it was some kind of a first school-day prank, set up by one of the Z-fighters.

Why was he here? And how? And why had no one discovered him earlier? Sure, in his base form, Broly didn't have all that much power, but someone should have noticed, right? Wasn't Dende supposed to watch over the world, and warn them of potential threats? Maybe Dende simply thought Gohan would be strong enough to handle Broly on his own, or maybe he didn't realize who they were dealing with. It's true that Gohan was a lot stronger now than when they first fought, but he had better be careful.

Reluctantly, Gohan packed his bag and walked out of the desolate locker room.

"Hey Gohan, do you have a second?"

Gohan had to subdue his almost instinctive urge to jump into a fighting stance, and managed to put up a calm appearance.

"Oh, hey Broly, you're still here?" He faked a surprise, even though he had felt that Broly had been waiting outside for a while. He was ready to take off at any moment, not wanting the city to be destroyed if a fight were to ensue. "What can I do for you?"

Broly was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, looking completely different from seven years ago with his dark denim jeans and burgundy v-neck, unafraid to show off some muscle. Gohan had to admit, Broly looked quite stylish, a lot better than his orange pants.

"I just wanted to say that I know how you must feel. I mean, it _is_ kind of scary to go to a new school, where you don't know anyone and stuff."

"Wait, _what_?"

"Come on, you can be honest with me! You've been way jumpy and uptight all day. But it's Ok to be nervous, you know." Broly said, completely misinterpreting Gohan's confusion.

'Is this a trick, to catch me off guard?' he thought to himself. 'Or maybe he doesn't recognize me...'

Broly put his hand firmly on Gohan's shoulder, making the younger Saiyan feel trapped, but also slightly... accepted? He looked up in the eyes of his nearly two-heads taller senior, and if he wasn't mistaking, he'd swear he saw compassion radiating towards him.

"I am pretty new here as well, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've got your back. That's all." Broly got a little uneasy with Gohan's dumbfounded expression, so he awkwardly let go of his shoulder, standing up tall again, with his arms folded, not sure where else to put them.

All Gohan could think was, 'Is this the _same_ Broly from seven years ago? What is wrong? Why does he act all nice now?'

"What? I'm not very good at this whole friend thing yet,_ Ok_? Just, stop staring at me like that." Broly turned around, and began walking away with a little swag in his step, yelling over his shoulder, "Well, see you tomorrow, Gohan!" And with that, he was gone.

Gohan let out a relieved sigh, now that he was alone again. Had this really happened? How had he come out of a confrontation with one of his past's major threats, unscathed? He was glad he could breathe normally again. He wasn't scared, of course... not really. But you've got to admit, in his memory he could see how he had the_ entire _Z-fighter gang outclassed. By far.

"And now look at what has gotten into him." he muttered to himself. His legs started working again, so he slowly made his exit out of the building, and took off into the sky when no one was looking, but not in the direction of his house. He needed to make a quick visit to one of his old friends, desperately needing her help.

Should he tell the other fighters? What would they do? Knowing Vegeta, he would probably immediately go looking for trouble, being a lot stronger with all those years of intense training. It was probably the wisest thing to do, stop the problem before it get's worse. But the compassionate eyes and friendly hold from earlier kept playing through his mind relentlessly, making him doubt his own judgment. Why? Why couldn't he just do what was logical?

"Dad, what would _you_ do?"

Familiar faces entered his mind, remembering him of the pasts of the people he now called friends. Vegeta... Piccolo... Heck, even Tien and Yamcha, if he remembered the stories correctly. All of them had gotten a second chance. If his dad could have had things his way, Freeza and Cell would have been his new buddies as well.

"Because you believe in them. You always have believed in the people around you."

'But look at the price Goku paid for putting his trust in others.' reason said. 'Look at where he's at, he's in Other World now.' It was true, his father's naivety had been the cause of a number of tough situations. It all made sense, it was clear what _should_ be done.

But it didn't feel right.

Gohan grinned. "I guess the saying is true, like father, like son."

Gohan had made his decision. And he would have to suffer the consequences. Hopefully he knew what he was getting himself into. He still thought of Broly as a threat, but if all else failed, he would personally put a stop to it.

"Well, Broly, let's see where this road leads us. So give me reason, to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean."


	4. NtrMssion

'Man, Bulma is such a genius!' Gohan thought while he was playing with his new watch. 'Just one push of a button, and whoever I'd be aiming at would be paralyzed.'

He looked over at Broly, a couple seats next to him, who was busy taking notes like his life depended on it. 'Just as a precaution.'

Videl quickly looked away to her notes, and Gohan only then realized she must have been staring at him for a while. Did his tail grow back or something? He quickly checked, but found nothing. 'And I'm not wearing the same clothes as yesterday, I made sure I have something a little more stylish...' he thought, proud of his denim jeans and navy button-up shirt.

"_Videl, there's been a hijacking in the bus-terminal!_"

The sudden noise came from Videl's watch, causing everyone to look up excitedly. Even the teacher paused his tuition. Gohan was only confused, clueless of what was going on.

"_A trail of hooligans have taken over a tour-bus full of senior citizens, and are holding them all for ransom!_" Bullet-shots could be heard in the background, along with the cries of some terrified policemen. "_Videl, you've got to help us!_"

"Stay calm, I'm on my way!" she told her watch, as she began to ran down the stairs.

"May I be excused professor, thank you!" she shouted, not even waiting for his answer.

"Well actually, I... Ok, on you go then..."

Everyone was acting like this was the most normal thing in the world, so why was he the only one without a clue? He couldn't take it any longer, so he turned to his neighbor.

"What's wrong with her, is she sick?"

"No, silly!" Erasa chirped back at him, amused at his dumbfounded expression. "She went to fight the hijackers!"

He was shocked, to say the least. "All by herself?"

"Of course, I mean, she_ is_ the daughter of mister Satan, you know. She's always going out there and saving us from the nasties."

"But... that's not safe!" Gohan stammered, still not willing to believe a regular girl his age would fight crime. And people simply let her?

"There's really no need to worry, Gohan." The blond jock assuredly put in. "Videl can lift _even more_ weights than I can." He sounded like that was a near-impossible accomplishment, probably thinking the matter was settled with that argument. "She's been training her whole life, and some say she's as strong as her father now."

As strong as her father? The few memories he had of mister Satan weren't very ensuring. 'Sure, they may believe mister Satan is the strongest man alive, but, well, I'm more concerned she's as weak as her father... But I can't leave now, class is still going. Plus, I've got to keep an eye on Broly... But _what if_ she's in danger? I can't just leave her all by herself...'

He resolutely stood up, making the blond next to him squeal in the process. He knew what he had to do, what the right thing to do was. As he made his way down the steps, the stares he received from his peers and teacher reminded him he still hadn't come up with an excuse yet.

"And where might ye be...?"

"Bathroom!" Gohan interrupted. It was the first thing that came to mind, and it sounded pretty solid. No one would have a clue, as long as he didn't take too long. He quickly ran through the empty hallways, until he made it to the roof. He quickly looked around, to make sure no one was watching him. Flames of gold engulfed him as he transformed into a Super Saiyan.

"Hold on, Videl!" he muttered before he flew off.

He was only a few seconds away, when he came to a sudden halt. "Wait, I can't show up like this, Videl will totally recognize me with these clothes on!" he pondered out loud, with his chin in his hand. "I wish I had some kind of costume, to keep my identity a secret... like some kind of super-hero outfit! But I guess I've been too worried about Broly that I completely forgot about it! Oh well, what can I do?"

The Gold-fighter looked around at the buildings below. Surely there would be some kind of clothing store around here? He started flying lower, inspecting the stores beneath him, trying really hard to ignore the stares and awes people gave him. At last he found what he was looking for. He quickly landed and entered the store.

"I need some kind of costume, and quick!"

People in the store nearly chocked in their excitement when they recognized the hero in front of them. A couple brave and flirtatious employees immediately clung unto him with hungry eyes, abashing him with their giggles.

"Sure, mister Gold-fighter." the brunette holding on to his left arm said with a wink.

"What's the occasion?" the redhead to his right asked with a seductive voice.

"Well... I, uh..." For some reason it had become very hard to think clearly, not being used to so much attention. It was kind off insane how quickly rumors can spread. "Well, just... Nothing too crazy... as long as it's comfortable..."

All but one of the girls ran off, twittering in excitement, and the remaining girl pulled him with her to the changing rooms. What had he gotten himself into? He had no time, and he had no choice but to get through this quickly.

The first employee came back and handed him a set of clothes, flustering Gohan who was just taking of his shirt. The girl giggled, but left him his privacy.

He took a look at the clothes she had brought. "Wait a minute..." he slowly uttered, looking at the white shirt and fancy black suit and gray vest.

"Just try it, I'm sure it will look great!" he heard from the other side of the curtain.

He had never worn one of these, at least not this fancy. "Are you sure...?"

"Come on! Just put it on!" The voice sounded a little annoyed with his wining.

While muttering under his breath, he started putting on the items, stepping into the black dress shoes that got shoved inside, quickly putting on the black leather belt and buttoning up his vest. He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to fight in these clothes, because they were very tight. But it didn't matter, it was taking too long. He looked down at his watch, and he was shocked by how late it already was.

"I'll take it!" he nearly shouted as he stepped from behind the curtain. The girls all gasped for air, gawking at the dreamy Super Saiyan. He quickly reached for his wallet, pulling out a handful of bills, too rushed to even look at how much it was. He had to go!

"Just one more thing..." a blond employee said, as she reached her arms around his neck, placing a shiny, skinny red tie around his not yet completely buttoned-up shirt. There was no time!

Gohan nodded a thank you, and quickly ran out of the store with his bag full of regular clothing. He had to hurry, and he still needed to figure out where the bus-terminal was!

* * *

"Videl, please tell us a little more in depth how the Gold-fighter put out the fire."

One of the tall skyscrapers in Satan City had caught fire, and she had tried to go put it out, and luckily, the Gold-fighter appeared, for the third time already, and saved the day. A couple of reporters now stood around the teenage crime fighter, eager for some more news to make tomorrow's headlines. The girl with the black pigtails was used to this kind of attention, so she started her summary of the event that was just over.

"While I was opening the valve, the roof started collapsing..." she stopped, recognizing a certain black-haired figure sneaking away. Interesting. "Hold on!" The reporters weren't happy, but quickly found another source to interrogate. Meanwhile, Videl had sneaked up on her unaware classmate.

"Where are you going, Gohan?"

She grinned, having managed to startle him. He nervously turned around. 'Busted.' she thought.

"So, what's the rush, huh?" she demanded, as she started walking towards the frozen teenager.

"Rush? I wasn't rushing..." He laughed in his usual nervous way, with his hand behind his head. Did he think she was going to buy that pathetic excuse?

"Gohan, you're hiding something, aren't you!" she said, a lot firmer, almost with her face in his, in an effort to scare him. He backed away, but not far.

"Ugh, what do you mean? Hiding what?" He looked at her sheepishly. She glared right back at him, not moving either. She wanted to make him feel uncomfortable, he seemed like the type of guy that would spill the beans when put under pressure. Videl was merciless, and it seemed to be working.

"_Noooo_!"

Both of them were taken by surprise by a certain redhead. Videl realized how awkward a position they were in, so she backed away, trying to suppress a blush. Luckily, Gohan recomposed himself rather quickly.

"Hey, I've been looking for you!"

"You lied to me, shame shame!" The girl didn't seem to really listen, too caught up in her hissy fit. Videl didn't really like her very much. The girl was always out seeking attention from everyone, especially the cute guys. So what was going on between Gohan and her? Surely, they weren't...

"You! You didn't have anything you needed to take care of! You saw Videl and wanted to sneak off and meet her and give her a kiss!"

Videl was surprised, looking back at Gohan expectantly. But his quick reply crushed the tiny spark of hope that had come up.

"Angela, that's not true!"

"I don't like you anymore, Gohan! See if I ever let you take me out again!" And with that, the redhead turned her back on them and walked away, furiously.

"What was that all about?" Videl wanted to know.

Gohan sighed sadly, with hanging shoulders. "Yesterday in school she asked me if I had anything to do today, and I said no, so she told me I had to take her out on a date."

"You _had_ to?" Videl repeated incredulously.

"Well, I didn't want to make her feel bad!" He looked as though he was accused of something bad. Then, with his sad demeanor returning, he added, "I just hope she won't be too upset..."

By now, Videl had completely forgotten why she went after Gohan in the first place. All she could think now was that she didn't want him to be so sad. She gently put her hand on his arm, in an effort to comfort him. Wait, were those... muscles? He always wore long-sleeve shirts, but as she squeezed lightly she could definitely feel his arms were rock-hard.

"_Ooooohhh_, hey you two!"

Startled, they both looked around in the faces of their three friends. Trying to fight another blush, Videl quickly let go of Gohan's arm, and he used it to awkwardly laugh with his hand behind his head again.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"You tell me, Gohan! What were you two doing here, _hmmm_?" Erasa nosily demanded. Videl recognized the dangerous thoughts developing in her blond friends head.

"Nothing happened, Erasa! Gohan was just on a date with Angela, and I happened to run into them, that's all."

"Whoa, hold on there! _Gohan_ was on a date?" Sharpener looked astonished at this news. "Not bad, brains, not bad."

"Come on, guys, let's keep going, I'm starving." Broly was the only one that didn't seem to care about this whole situation. Erasa didn't seem very satisfied, but she would get her chance to poke around some more.

"Oh yeah, we were on our way to check out this sweet cafe, care to join us?"

"Yeah, that sounds fantastic!" Gohan exclaimed, relieved by the distraction. The three guys started walking in front, and Erasa took this chance to quietly interrogate her celebrity-friend.

"You two were holding hands, _weren't you_! Don't deny it, I know what I saw!"

"You're wrong." Videl hissed back. "Stop jumping to conclusions. Nothing is going on!"

"Then why do I catch you staring at him in class all the time?" the teaser continued.

"Wha-... No! He's just... He's hiding something, Erasa, I _know_ it!"

The girl in the green top didn't seem contend, but luckily they had arrived at the destined cafe, so Videl had more room to breath. And think.

'Erasa is wrong, there is nothing going on between Gohan and me. He didn't even seem interested anyways, too busy trying to please that dumb Angela. Besides... I'm not interested in new guys anymore, I haven't had much luck there yet, and I don't want to end up disappointed again. And then there's my dad...'

"Videl, I got you a bagel and a coffee!"

"Thanks, Sharpener." Probably not as impressed as he had hoped she would be. All of them sat down around in the comfy little chairs, and all were staring at Gohan and Broly their food-trays with big eyes.

"_What_?"

No one knew what to say. They were finally getting used to Broly's insane appetite, but the shy, modest Gohan even appeared to be challenging the eating-champion, judging from how full his tray was.

"What, I'm just hungry, Ok?"

"So Videl, we never got to hear from you what happened yesterday." Erasa tried, in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "You just ran out, and never came back. What happened?"

Videl started telling her story, of how she stopped the bus hijacking, and how the Gold-fighter had appeared at the last second to safe the day. She was just in the middle of describing what he looked like, when the teens got interrupted by a sudden newsflash on the TV.

"...Caught fire. There are still no details of what might have caused it. Luckily, only a few were injured, but there were no casualties. The fire got put out by our city's Videl Satan..."

Everyone on the cafe started cheering or whistling on their fingers, making Videl blush slightly.

"...Who was assisted by a new hero, also known as the Gold-fighter. Who this person is, and how he got his powers remain a mystery."

Vague images were being shown of the mysterious Super-hero with the gold hair and a three-piece suit. Everyone was staring at the TV mesmerized. Everyone except for Videl. What caught her interest was that Gohan was nervously playing with his watch. He looked... guilty? Scared?

And for some reason, for a short moment Broly looked very angry.


	5. In Between

_"...Zee in zy larger, saner brood of female, male. Zee in zy azletes, moral, spiritual, Souz, Norz, West, East..."_

Broly hated this class. Dissecting poems. Was there anything more boring? It was horrible, and time was going by way too slowly. How he was wishing he could be outside now, and on top, it was such a beautiful spring-day.

_"... Zee in zy moral wealz and civilization, until which zy proudest material civilization, must remain in vain..."_

Broly could see Sharpener was dozing off as well, but granted, he was never really paying a lot of attention in any class. Next to Sharpener, Videl's vacant seat made Broly somewhat envious. She was outside now, fighting some crooks. Darn it, she was so lucky.

_"...Zee in zy all-supplying, all-enclosing worship. Zee in no single Bible, saviour, merely..."_

Erasa was busy with her cellphone, one thing that Broly still hadn't gotten the hang off. He had one, of course, and he was reachable. But what else was he supposed to do with it? If he wanted to talk with someone, why not do it face to face?

_"...Zy saviours countless, latent wizin zyself, zy Bibles incessant wizin zyself, equal to any, divine as any..."_

Next to Erasa, Gohan was looking rather uptight, tapping his foot and everything. Just a couple minutes ago, he was denied to go to the bathroom, and it seemed like it was taking it's toll on him. Poor guy. But other than his over-the-top bladder problems, which were sometimes downright embarrassing, Gohan was doing a lot better since his first day. It was his second week, and he'd already opened up a ton, and he seemed more relaxed with his new friends. 'And he's dressing himself a lot better as well.' Broly thought proudly. 'His clothes are a little baggy, but they look heaps better than before.'

_"Zese! Zese in zee, certain to come, today as I do prophesy."_

Finally, she was done! More people started waking up, but mostly because of the sudden, intensifying rumbling underground.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

People left and right started screaming and panicking, as the teacher shouted her instructions to the students. Everyone crouched down underneath their desks for cover, except for himself and the other newest student. For a second they exchanged blank stares with each other, until Gohan resolutely got up, and ran out of the classroom. Weirdly enough, the earthquake immediately stopped as well.

Did Gohan have to use the bathroom so badly, that he would run out even in an earthquake? But for some inexplicable reason, he had the strange feeling he should follow his peer.

* * *

"So, what's he like, Videl?"

"Well... he doesn't say much, he's very... mysterious, you could say. He simply saves the day, and then leaves. I've asked him who he was, but he just grinned and took off, before I had a chance to find out more. So rude."

"Oh come on, Videl, just admit it! You think he's hot, just like me and every other girl in the city!" Erasa teased. Videl could only stammer an inaudible response.

"Pfff, I don't see why people like him so much." Sharpener cut in, with a distinctive hint of jealousy. "I mean, I guess he's kind of strong, and can fly and do other tricks and whatnot. But seriously, what's up with his outfit?"

"Well, they say his suit and tie are symbols of justice and peace, while his halfway unbuttoned shirt stands for not being afraid to confront evil and corruption." Erasa squeaked, obviously knowing what she was talking about.

Gohan, who was walking a bit behind the others, chuckled at his friends. If only they knew. He only wore the suit, because he didn't want to start looking for another one. And the reason he could never fully button up his shirt, was because he was always in a hurry, and they could be a real pain in the rear sometimes. But he liked Erasa's explanation. It was a heck of a lot better reason than 'buying the first thing you see.'

"I thought it was supposed to inspire the common man, that anyone could pretty much be a hero, if they had the guts to stand up for what's right." Videl offered.

Sharpener only let out an annoyed "Pfff, whatever."

"So are you anywhere close to figuring out who he is?"

Videl shook her head. "At first I was convinced it was Gohan, but that theory got thrown out of the window earlier today, when I saw him trying to fight these thugs." she added with a grimace. "So now I am back to square one."

"Alright Videl, spill it. What's going on between you and _you-know-who_?"

"What are you talking about, you mean Gohan?" the other girl bit back.

"That's exactly who I mean! He disappeared from miss Beakman's class right after you left!"

Yikes! He didn't like the direction this discussion was going, and his instincts screamed 'FLEE' with flashing red lights. His best option was a nearby alley, where he quietly snuck off to, unnoticed by the others.

"She wouldn't let him leave, and then the earthquake hit and he was _gone_!"

"You're kidding?" Videl asked incredulously.

"No!"

"Darn him! Now where'd he go? I thought he was walking behind us!" Gohan could hear Videl shout, imagining steam coming from her ears.

"He was..."

"Look you two, when a geek disappears, you're not supposed to worry about it. It's a good thing!"

"Gohan's not a geek! He's a heck of a lot cooler than you, Sharpener!" Videl defended. Gohan nearly blushed. He had never heard Videl say something nice about him!

"_What_!?" Sharpener sounded shocked the girls turned on him.

"You heard me."

"Yeah, and he's cuter too!" Erasa chirped in.

"Yeah, if you like your man scrawny and weak..."

"Videl doesn't need a strong man, she can kick your butt all by herself!"

"No she can't!"

"Yes she can." Erasa teased.

"Yes I can!"

"Whatever..." Sharpener's voice faintly sounded, forfeiting the argument.

The little group had moved on, and were now out of hearing distance. Gohan was still crouched behind the faithful trashcan, grinning from ear to ear. The fact that Videl had actually said something nice about him started to sink in more fully. He felt like he was with his head in the clouds.

"Alright, mister Gold-fighter. Start explaining things." a dark voice behind him spoke.

Gohan brutally plummeted back on Earth, and the blood disappeared from his face when he turned around and realized who was addressing him.

"B-Broly...!"

How could he have been so careless? How could he not have sensed Broly approaching him from behind? Sheepishly, in his usual hand-behind-the-head style, he countered, "What do you mean? Don't be silly, I'm not the Gold-fighter!"

Broly grunted threateningly. Gohan could feel the Saiyan's power level climbing fast. Green light started flickering in his right hand, casting eerie shadows on the walls and on his with rage contorted face.

"You never went to the bathroom! Gold-fighter... You turn into a Super Saiyan! You are the son of Kakarot, _aren't you_!? Gohan... Son Gohan... Tell me I'm wrong!"

Gohan couldn't utter a single word, he stood frozen like a statue. All of his cards lay open on the table, his facade had failed. Broly, finding a confirmation in the loss for words, became furious, his black eyes now full of hate.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Broly roared, while charging the energy-blast in his open hand. He wanted to destroy the awful memory that had come back to haunt him. He was about to hurl orb of destruction.

But he couldn't.

His body was paralyzed. The all too familiar feeling of not being able to access his energy was back. His legs gave in, and he slowly collapsed to the floor. Meanwhile, Gohan was still looking calm like the heavens, not having moved an inch, save the hand resting on his watch.

"What did you do to me?" The giant stammered.

"Let me apologize to begin with." Gohan started, unable to look the other in his pained eyes. "Let me apologize for what I'm about to say. But trying to be someone else was harder than it seemed. I am not the weak, powerless 'geek' people think I am. Yes, I am the Gold-fighter... And_ yes_, I am the son of Goku."

Broly growled resentfully, but Gohan continued.

"Until now, I've allowed you to walk on my home-planet freely, against my better judgement, because I wanted to give you another chance. But I'm starting to regret that decision... Tell me one thing, Broly. Why do you hate me, or my father so much? What have we ever done to you?"

The taller Saiyan, still confined to the floor in a hopeless heap, snorted angrily. "What_ haven't_ you done?"

"Alright. Tell me. I've got all day." Gohan enforced his statement by sitting down in front of Broly with crossed-legs.

"How could I ever trust you, after all of your lies?"

Hmm. He had a valid point. Gohan didn't really know what to say. He couldn't really think of a good way to earn back the trust he had shattered. At least, not while he had him pinned on the floor. But on the bright side, at least Bulma came through with her invention. If it weren't for her, the city would've been shish kebab.

Gohan was just about to apologize once more, when a sudden loud voice sounded from above them.

"What _in the heck_ is going on here!?"

Gohan gulped, and Broly growled.

It was Vegeta.


	6. Runaway

"Hey Gohan, have you heard anything from Broly?"

While covering the drawing of Icarus he had been working on for the last half hour, Gohan looked up in the big blue eyes of his neighbor. His action didn't go unnoticed, and Erasa was peeking at his paper curiously.

"Ooooh, what's that?" she squealed, noticing the artwork, regardless of his desperate attempts to hide it. She grasped it from under his nose, and held it out in front of her, out of his reach.

"Give it back, Erasa!"

"Aww, look Videl, isn't it cute? It's a funny little dragon. Gohan drew this!" Erasa boasted with hearts in her eyes. Sharpener in the back chuckled.

"Ugh... it's alright, I guess..." Had Gohan not been as embarrassed, he could have noticed Videl's eyes gave away much more admiration than her words did. Unfortunately, he was too busy frantically trying to retrieve his creation, but with no luck.

"Gohan, can I keep, it? Pleeeeaaaaase?"

Erasa gave him the biggest puppy-dog eyes Gohan had ever seen in his entire life, rivaled only by Goten's professional pout. Darn it! How had she discovered his only weakness? Defeated, and with a tiny pout himself, he nodded, causing the blond girl to squeal again out of excitement. Moments like these made Gohan wonder if his teacher were all deaf, or just didn't give a dang, because they got away with _so much_ chit-chatting during class.

Videl hadn't forgotten the original question, _naturally. _She would probably not rest, until all the secrets in the world had been uncovered. "Anyways, Broly hasn't come to school the last couple of days, and none of us has heard from him. Don't you think that's odd?"

Why did she always have to be so suspicious? Gohan nervously cleared his throat. "I heard he's pretty sick right now, so I'm not sure when he'd be back..." He could only hope she would buy it. Man, telling lies is awful!

"Ow..."

'Gosh, Videl looks really upset right now. Why? She never seemed to be too close with Broly anyways, so why is she so shaken up by this?'

"Are you okay?" he carefully asked.

Videl sighed very sadly, something Gohan didn't like a lot. "Well... to be honest, I feel kind of bad. I haven't been very nice to him lately. And now he's sick... probably feeling incredibly miserable... And he's all alone, no family or friends to take care of him..."

All of them were silent, and both the girls looked really sad. Darn it, Gohan! This shouldn't have been this big of a deal!

"Gosh, we should go visit him after school or something..."

Everyone looked at Sharpener with wide eyes. Did he really say that? But... that was so unlike him! Since when did he start caring about people other than himself?

Their expressions were apparently not hard to decipher, because he defensively continued, "Well, I'm just saying, since we don't have _anything else_ going on, you know! It's not like I really care..."

Someone in the classroom coughed. A shocked Videl was the first to break the silence. "As weird as this may sound, I have to agree with Sharpener. There is only one problem, though. We don't know where he lives..."

Wow. Gohan was speechless, touched by their benevolence.

"I wish there was something we could do..." Erasa sniffed with watery eyes.

* * *

"Hiya, Bulma! How's the project coming along?"

He had found Bulma sitting at the kitchen counter, with a mug of steamy-hot coffee, judging from the smell of it. He looked at her expectantly, but she didn't seem very enthusiastic. "Oh, hi Gohan, I'm doing _absolutely fan-freaking-tastic!_ And no, I haven't made much progress yet! OK?" she snapped back at him.

Gohan was a little shocked, and hurt! Usually she wasn't this rude, at least not to him. "Sorry, I was just curious..."

She sighed. "No... No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry... I'm just really stressed right now." It was obvious, she had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a bit ruffled. Why hadn't he noticed sooner? "I mean, I've got a renegade Saiyan shouting his lungs out in my basement! I've got a husband who's crankier than ever, and who's eager to start a fight with anyone and their neighbor! I haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately, because I have to stay up all night to invent some kind of dream-analyzing machine, which I'm still clueless about! So there...!" she finished heatedly, out of breath. "Did I leave anything out!?"

Right at that moment, a familiar Lavender-haired boy came running into the kitchen, holding some kind of blue sash in his hands.

"Quick, Gohan! Take this!" The boy shoved his item in the bewildered teen's hands, and took off again at the same speed with which he had entered. Bulma face-palmed herself while muttering "King Kai, _why?"_

A very uncomfortable Piccolo came shuffling into the kitchen mere moments after Trunks was out of sight. A rare hint of red stained his distressed mentor's usually green cheeks, which was a rare sight to behold indeed. He was desperately trying to hold his pants up with his hands, hence the shuffling. Gohan confusedly looked at the sash he was holding, and back to Piccolo, and believe it or not, but it took him a couple of seconds before he realized what was going on. Gohan, now also blushing by the discomfort of his friend, readily handed back Piccolo's belonging.

"Don't. Say. A word!" he muttered through his clenched teeth. Reaching out with one hand, and trying to hold up your pants with the other, is actually quite tricky, and Piccolo succeeded in readjusting his apparel, without showing of too much green, but just barely.

Bulma was pinching her nose exasperatedly, looking dangerously close to having a seizure. "Gohan, I swear... If this goes on any longer, I will go insane!"

"I'm so sorry Bulma, I never meant to put you under this much stress... Say, let's just forget about that dream-machine altogether. I guess I'll try to get Broly to talk, even without it."

"Well... Good luck, kid."

* * *

Broly was breathing heavily, anxiously waiting for someone to enter his pitch-black prison-like room. He could hear muffled voices coming nearer, and his heart was beating louder with the second.

"...Very noble of you, but I still don't understand what you see in him. He's dangerous!"

"You're right about that, Piccolo... But I think learning more about his past will be the key to understanding him. I don't know why, but I believe in him... I think he can change..." Broly recognized the second voice to belong to his former peer, the one who put him in this predicament in the first place.

"...You and your father have always been the trusting types. And look where it brought me, the once so great and evil King Piccolo... I just hope it will work with him..."

The door opened slowly, and bright day-light suddenly filled part of the room. Broly completely froze, afraid even the slightest sound might give him away. Two shadowy figures entered the room. The lights suddenly flickered on, and any moment now, they would realize he was not confined to the bed anymore.

"_What the_...! Where is...?"

This was his chance. He jolted up from behind his hiding place, some kind of computer desk, and pounced at his dumbfounded captors. He hit the green bug-man hard in the stomach, causing him to fall back onto Gohan as they both fell to the floor. Broly used this convenient instant to dart out of the room, being followed only by their angry grunts.

He moved quickly, but silently. Left, another left, right. This place was huge! Luckily he didn't run into anyone. He wasn't scared of these pathetic excuses of warriors, but the effects of being paralyzed for days hadn't completely worn off yet. He would've loved to fight them all, yet he knew he was no match for them in his current state, not even being able to turn Super Saiyan. So now all he needed was to find an exit.

He could hear footsteps approaching from behind him, so he almost instinctively reached for the nearest door, and quietly sneaked into a cramped bedroom. Broly stood with his back against the wall, listening intently for the footsteps to disappear, with his heart beating loudly in his chest.

The footsteps slowed down, until they came to a sudden halt in front of his door. But... how? He was sure no one had seen him... He's probably just... tying his shoelaces or something... Just be patient.

"I wonder what's behind door number one?"

Suddenly, a big chunk of the wall behind him blew up, sending an unsuspecting Broly harshly to the floor.

"Well well well, if it isn't our _Legendary _Super Saiyan, hiding with his tail between his legs, like a true coward!" the arrogant little man mockingly roared. "Next time you play hide and seek, I suggest you hide your powerlevel as well!"

"Vegeta!" Broly roared back, while picking himself up from among the rubble. "I'd never hide from you!"

Broly realized his cover was blown, and there was no turning back from here. He would have to fight his way out of this place. Fine, so be it.

He dashed forward, hoping to take the cocky man by surprise. Unfortunately, Broly's fist hit nothing but air, as Vegeta disappeared in front of him. Broly spun around on the spot, searching for the other fighter, but with no luck. Where the heck did he go?

"Keep your eye on the birdy..." menacingly came from behind him.

Broly swore loudly, and before he could even turn around, something hard hit him in the back of the neck, and everything went black before his eyes.

* * *

"You and your father are too softhearted to call yourselves real Saiyans!"

"Aw, come on Vegeta! You haven't seen him the last couple of weeks!" Gohan was still defending his old friend. Vegeta scoffed agitatedly.

"Who cares what he was like, the fact of the matter is that he will not hesitate to take us down if he get's the chance!"

"Gohan, I'm with Vegeta on this one."

"Not you too, Piccolo?" It seemed like he was losing this battle. "I'm sure Broly must have some good reason for acting the way he does... I just need to figure it out!"

"I can't believe you, you insufferable brat! You still defend him, after all he's done!? Why do you even care?"

"Look, I'm sure my dad would do the same thing! And I really believe that deep down, he's just like you and me! If we kill him now, we would never find out why he's so hostile solely towards us. I wanna know the truth, instead of wondering why. I wanna know the answers, and I'm sure I can get them from him."

The older Saiyan grudgingly crossed his arms and looked away from our teenager, who seemed very relieved.

"Alright, moron, but this is your last try! If you screw up on this one, we'll do it _my_ way, meaning we'll get rid of him, once and for all! Is that clear?"

"Thanks, Vegeta!"

"Just shut up, and get going already!"

Before Vegeta could change his mind again, Gohan entered the room Broly was in, and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he saw Broly, once again strapped down on the bed, squinting at him suspiciously.

"Oh, hey... Did you overhear us talking just barely?"

Broly grunted brusquely. It was kind of hard _not _to overhear the loud Prince.

"Alright, then you realize the pickle you're in, right?"

Broly raised one of his eyebrows, not feeling like saying much. Gohan sighed.

"Listen, if you don't start explaining yourself, then there is nothing else I can do for you. It's up to you, live or die."


	7. Until it Breaks

"I still think this is a waste of time."

The taller man accompanied his complaint with a skeptical look, both directed at the only other person that was walking down the deserted hallway. He could hardly believe they were back in their old habitat, back in Orange Star High, as if the past week hadn't taken place at all. As if Broly had never found out about Gohan's secrets.

"I told you, I don't want anyone to become any more suspicious by your ongoing absence, especially not..." Gohan swallowed. "Well, suffice it to say people have been asking questions." Broly raised one of his brows upon hearing this news. He knew _exactly_ which pig-tail black-haired girl was meant.

"Man... I just really hope the teacher won't be too mad at us for being so late!" Broly rolled his eyes. Gohan could be such a geek sometimes. The young man walking in front of him was too much in a hurry to notice however.

"You know, it's your own fault. You just _had to _butt in and take out that pickpocket, didn't you?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just turn my back on that helpless lady!" Gohan retaliated. Broly held up his hands defensively, as to show he didn't really care.

"It's called police, ever heard of it?"

No reply. Broly realized his sarcastic remark had been a bit too cutting. The silence and cold shoulder were gnawing at his conscience. There was no need to be so mean to Gohan. Yet. "Look, all I'm trying to say, is that you can't always take care of every little problem. Otherwise people will become too dependent and won't be able to take care of themselves."

Gohan slowed his pace. There was actually a lot of truth in Broly's words. Deep down, he knew he couldn't always help out every single person in need, notwithstanding how much he wanted to. Maybe Broly was right, maybe it was his own fault this city's joke of a police force was so weak-sauce. He had often marveled at their seeming incompetence, but it made sense now. Naturally, having an abnormally powerful superhero solving all their crime-related problems would condition them into a false sense of security. Perhaps it would be wise to take a step back, and only interfere when it was truly necessary.

With a sigh, Gohan came to a halt in front of the door that lead to their classroom. Muffled voices could be heard from within. He glanced back over his shoulder at Broly, who looked a bit grumpy. "One more thing." he softly spoke, with an outstretched hand, to prevent the other from entering. "I trust my secret identity is going to remain a secret between the two of us, right?"

Broly rolled his eyes in annoyance. Of course he wouldn't tell anyone. It seemed like such a petty thing to worry about, especially with their current situation. "You should worry less about your image, and more about our agreement, because in two days, your time is up!"

Gohan gulped audibly.

* * *

"It's nice to have you back, Bro."

Oddly enough, those words had come from Sharpener, who was among their little group at their good old lunch-table. He seemed even more content and cocky than usual, if at all possible, with his legs wide and an arm around the back of the seats, like he was the owner of the place. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with checking out the passing group of giggly sophomores, he might have noticed the strange look Broly gave him.

"Oh my goodness, this is what I love about early spring! Where have those legs been hiding all winter?"

Broly wasn't the only one to roll his eyes. But at least they knew nothing was wrong with Sharpener. So had he really just said something nice just now? Broly wasn't the only one confused, though.

"Wow Sharpener, of all people I never expected you to get all mushy on us." Gohan chuckled lightly.

Sharpener reverted his gaze back to his friends. "Yeah, I always worry myself sick about you guys." They all laughed.

All this time Erasa had been clinging onto Broly's arm for dear life, afraid that if she let go, he might disappear into nothingness. Notwithstanding his surprised yet handsome features, he didn't seem to mind having her so close to him. And she didn't mind at all. 'I'm just glad that he's healthy and back with us again. Gosh, I've missed him.' she thought to herself, and took in a deep whiff of his scent and purred contently.

Everyone in their little group fell silent and gawked at her incredulously, when she realized the awkward sound had come from her. She turned red like a beet, embarrassed at herself. 'Stupid _stupid!_ This is so embarrassing! I wish I could turn invisible right now!'

"Well, I suppose we all missed you, more or less..." Videl uttered without looking at Broly, after pushing Sharpener's jaw back into it's natural position. Broly chuckled with his free hand reaching behind his head, but froze when he realized who he was imitating.

Luckily the bell rang, so no one noticed.

"Well, time for PE." Videl slowly stood up and stretched. "I wonder what we'll be doing, now that we've finished baseball."

Sharpener got up as well, and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I can't tell you what it is, but I promise it will be epic!"

"Well, only one way to find out." Erasa reluctantly let go of her neighbor, and quickly interlocked arms with Videl, leading her away. "See you guys later!"

Gohan hesitated. Sharpener noticed, and called back after him. "Hurry up Gohan!"

Gohan started trudging behind the others. He always purposefully made sure no one would be in the locker-room, so he could change without attracting any unwanted attention. But this time he had to keep a close eye on the person now peacefully listening to Sharpener. The imminent threat awaiting in two days weighed heavily on Gohan's mind.

With some smooth-talking and a lot of luck, he had convinced both Broly and the Z-Fighers he could clear his father's name, if they gave him couple days. But there wasn't much time left until the peace-treaty expired, and the warriors would resort to settling their differences the old-fashion way. Gohan wasn't particularly worried the gang wasn't strong enough. Ever since his first day at Orange Star High he had picked up his training with his friend and mentor Piccolo, and he was nearly back at the level he was seven years ago. On top of that, Vegeta had done nothing but severe training those last years of peace, so they stood a fair chance against the Legend.

It was just that Gohan wanted to prevent anyone from having to fight. When Broly had told him his story, how happy he had been with his girlfriend, and how he had lost her, Gohan felt really sorry for him, and he could understand why he had been so furious. But he couldn't believe his dad could have been the evildoer. So here he was, trying to come up with ways to prove he was right, as well as keeping an eye on the probationer at the same time. And we're not even talking about his alter-ego's secret identity or his Saiyan heritage he tried so desperately to keep hidden from his peers. Maybe he had a little much on his plate... Couldn't the universe cut him some slack?

But even the locker-room had no mercy.

He reluctantly entered behind the others, and was slightly relieved to see only a few guys were still left. He anxiously scanned the room. Maybe no one would notice if he quietly changed in that corner over there?

"...Nice and all, but honestly, it hasn't been the same without you." the jock continued, trying to put an arm around Broly's shoulder, but settled with simply patting him, coming short in height. Sharpener had taken off his shirt the second they entered, and wasn't planning on putting anything else on for a while, relishing in the glances of jealousy. "

Gohan swiftly took off his shirt and started rummaging through his bag, but couldn't find his sports-shirt as quickly as he wanted to. "Come on, where _are you?"_ he muttered under his breath.

"Brains! What in the world?" Gohan jumped and the contents of his bag slipped out of his hands. He slowly turned around to face a couple of baffled classmates, with Broly in the back smirking evilly. The way their eyes lingered on his upper body made him feel more than just uncomfortable, although strangely enough somewhere in the back of his mind, his Saiyan half growled contently at how their eyes widened in awe and shock. "The heck... You're ripped!"

His instincts told him to feign ignorance, but common sense told him it was too late for that. Unable to come up with any excuse, he settled with a goofy grin, showing some biceps as his hand reached for the back of his head.

"Dude... _That's AWESOME!"_ Gohan blinked. Not exactly the reaction he expected. "Now I finally understand," Sharpener continued excitedly, while laying an arm around his shoulder, "Why the heck you've been so popular with the ladies!"

Gohan swallowed. "Wh-what?"

"You know what, Gohan," Said person noticed how he was actually called by name, instead of the denigrating nicknames he had gotten kind of fond off. "You, me and Broly, we're the school's hottest, most sought after bachelors!" Both Saiyans looked away to hide their blushes.

"No wonder he's so good at sports..." Sharpener muttered to himself, as he walked over to his bag, pulled out a sleeveless shirt and threw it at Gohan. "Here, put this on, you're gonna need it today, trust me!" he said with a wink. Boy, were they in for a surprise! He could hardly wait for PE to start. They had something very special planned for today, and he was asked by the coach to assist him. Speaking of which, he had to get going!

"Y'all hurry up. I'll see you on the field!"

* * *

"Oh my gosh, Videl! Look! Is that Gohan?"

Videl looked in the direction her friend was pointing at. She narrowly managed to withhold herself from squealing just as excitedly as the rest of the girls. Erasa was right, trudging behind Broly came a strangely muscular Gohan, with his head hanging and a cute red hue staining his handsome countenance. Since when had he become so... attract- _Hold on! _She blinked. Those thoughts did not just come from her, right? It was a good thing he thought the grass was so interesting, because she couldn't keep her eyes off him.

"Hey guys..."

"Gohan, I knew it! I knew you were hiding some serious muscle underneath those baggy shirts of yours!" Erasa decided to make him feel even more uncomfortable by pressing herself up against his arm, hoping to provoke feelings of jealousy with a certain someone. That certain someone only smirked at his peer's discomfort, though. She sighed. Sometimes she wondered if he even knew she existed.

"Ouch!" A sharp prod in her ribs broke her train of thought. It came from a ticked looking Videl. The girls stared at each other intently, the one threatening, the other curious. What was that all about? Was Videl... jealous? Erasa smirked.

"Has either of you seen Sharpener?" Gohan asked, in an attempt to break the awkward silence. They looked around, or rather, Erasa caught Videl staring again, while the guys did the searching. Soon enough, Broly pointed at a figure a few yards away.

Sharpener came strutting up the field carrying a huge crate full of boxing-gloves together with the Coach. With a conceited smile, he joined his friends, sending some eyebrow-wiggles in the direction of some giggling girls, oblivious to the fact they weren't paying him any attention at all. He did however notice a very shy pal of his. "Come on, Gohan, you've got to breathe it all in!" He inhaled deeply, to give him an example. Gohan chuckled bashfully.

"Everyone's here? Great!" Coach Mercury roared, getting everyone's attention. "Allright, Listen up! Since in exactly a month from today will be Hercule Day," Broly looked at Gohan confusedly, but Gohan only blinked clueless in return, "and the first day of the World Martial Arts Tournament, we are going to be doing something very special today!" Excited chattering arose amongst the students.

"I've asked Sharpener, who trains in Mr. Satan's Dojo, to help me out and teach you how to do some martial arts." Students roared enthusiastically, as Sharpener smugly came walking up front, clearly enjoying the attention. "Sharpener and I will demonstrate some of the basics, and then you may pair up with a buddy and practice these moves." Some of the people immediately paired off, at speeds unheard of, before the Coach was even finished speaking. Many of the remaining guys threw hopeful glances towards the class-celebrity, who professionally ignored them. Why did they even bother? She would probably break them in half or worse.

"You and me." a threatening voice growled in Gohan's ear.

Gohan gulped nervously.


	8. Silhouette

"Pffft, amateurs!"

Why did she have to stay on the side? It wasn't fair at all! Dumb little weakling, it was his own fault for wanting to spar with her. And when you get beaten, you start running to the coach, crying like a little girl! Videl kicked a rock out of frustration.

"Ouchies, my leg!"

It's not like her sparring-partner has broken anything, so what's the big deal anyway? When it comes down to it, all guys are weaklings. Even Sharpener won't dare pick a fight with me, and he's the school's top athlete! She sighed, realizing what she was doing. She was always comparing the guys her age with her dad, hoping someone strong enough to beat him would rise up one day. I know it's not fair, but... maybe, someone out there...

One of her classmates fell in front of her feet with a loud thud. The girl groaned while rubbing her soar thigh.

"You alright?" Videl inquired. The girl looked up at her and nodded bravely, trying to hold back tears. Videl reached out her hand, and helped the girl back up. "I was watching you, and you're doing great!" she lied.

"R-really?" the girl answered with a shaky voice. "Gee, thanks Videl!"

"Don't give up!" she reassured with a smile, and continued walking past the other little groups.

Where was I? Hmm... Something to do with... She looked up and saw one pair of fighters fondle and kiss each other instead of practicing, and she quickly looked back down, biting her bottom-lip with red-tainted cheeks. Oh yeah, that's where.

She always turned into a hopeless mess around such scenes, and it was all her father's fault. Back when she was younger, he came up with this insanely cunning rule, where he would not let her date someone, unless the person could defeat _him_ in a fight. Back then, she wasn't interested in guys yet, so she hadn't given it another thought, but as she got older, she started realizing the craftiness of the trap her father had sprung. How in the world could _anyone_ beat him in a fair fight, the man who defeated Cell? It was impossible, and that's why her father had made the darn rule. Was there no hope for her? Would she ever have a boyfriend of her own?

"You guys, You've got to check this out! Gohan and Broly are fighting!"

* * *

"Fight me back, you _coward_!"

Broly roared out of frustration. His match with Gohan started out playfully, nothing too serious. But every time Broly kicked his game up a notch, Gohan followed suit. So far he hadn't managed to land a single blow, and it was making him madder by the minute.

"Broly, calm down! People are watching!" Gohan hissed as he swiftly evaded yet another kick. Gohan noticed their sparring session attracted more and more attention, another cause for him to tread carefully.

"Arrgh! Why can't I hit you!?" Broly rushed at him in an attempt to grab him by the shoulders, but the other Saiyan leaped over his head into a somersault. Broly struggled to remain on his feet, staggering by the velocity of his own attack.

Broly turned around swiftly, and again came charging at him. Gohan fazed out at the last second, leaving a very confused Broly hitting nothing but an afterimage. Gohan reappeared behind him, and swiftly dropped to the floor to sweep him off his feet. With a loud thud, Broly landed on his back ungracefully, feeling very undignified. Gohan jumped back into a fighting stance, ready for more. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was starting to enjoy himself, his Saiyan blood starting to boil with excitement. Sparring with Piccolo the last couple weeks had been great, but _this_ was different, new and unpredictable. A real good old challenge, even though he knew Broly would never truly hurt him. Right? Doubt kicked in when he saw the ferocious expression on his sparring-partner's countenance as he got up.

Broly rushed at Gohan with his arm stretched, intending to punch him in the kisser. Maybe Broly was getting blinded by rage, or maybe he simply didn't know his martial arts that well, because in less than the second it took Broly to close the distance between the two, Gohan had already spotted four huge flaws in his technique. Broly was in a way _begging_ Gohan to exploit his openings, and who was Gohan to ignore anyone's pleas? Quicker than the human eye could see, he ducked underneath Broly's right fist, grabbed it with his right hand, spun his body so his victim was behind him, and placed a powerful elbow in his midsection. Broly got the wind knocked out of him and dropped to the floor on one knee.

"G-Gohan?..."

Both fighters turned to find a very perplexed Videl, who was watching the display with big eyes. Darn, he got carried away, and had totally forgotten about the bystanders. How long had she been standing there? Gohan immediately raised his arm to the back of his neck, that itch started playing up again.

"Oh... hey Videl..." he stuttered with a goofy grin. Boy, he was gonna get it now. He couldn't think of any convincing argument, so he remained silent, waiting for the imminent outburst. Videl however was so utterly speechless that no words seemed to get past her lips. This silence, apart from Broly's heavy wheezing, was even more unbearable than what was to follow. It felt like being in the eye of the storm, and somehow he was still alive, but not for long.

"...W-what... How... ugh..."

Tell her you watch a lot of action-movies... Tell her this isn't real, that she is still sleeping... You've been a secret admirer of mr. Satan and are taking private lessons... No, that was taking things too far. He opened his mouth, hoping it would be filled.

The only sound he heard was a loud crack and a shrill yelp from Videl, as the sky whirled around him, and he fell on the grass. He saw Broly once again on his feet, with his fist still in the air, the fist with which he undoubtedly was struck by. Gohan examined his aching nose, and was surprised to see blood staining his fingertips. One of his classmates fainted upon seeing Gohan bleed.

Everything after that went rather quickly. A pair of delicate yet surprisingly strong arms hoisted him up on his feet. He was glad he could lean on his caretaker, because he felt slightly dizzy. "Show me where it hurts." a familiar voice spoke. "And then we'll make it OK." Gohan wasn't too surprised to realize the concerned voice belonged to Videl, who was always ready to lend a helping hand.

"We've got to get you to see a nurse." she exclaimed when Gohan lowered his hand to reveal his damaged face. Even more damaged was his pride. He initially felt embarrassed to be in such a pitiful state, —man, Broly packs one heck of a punch— but after second thought, this was his ticket out of this tight situation. "Come on, big guy!" Videl was heaving slightly under his weight, but wasn't too immersed to shoot some eye-daggers at Broly, who didn't really seem to care.

"Don't let your guard down..." Gohan could barely hear him whisper ominously.

* * *

"Come on, Videl, not _this_ again!"

"Please Erasa, I can't figure this out on my own. Would you _please_ help me?" The raven-haired girl pleaded with her best friend. She pouted her lips for added effects. "You're the only one I can talk with."

With a sigh, Erasa gave in, unable to withstand those puppy-dog eyes. "Alright alright, fine! But you owe me a full afternoon worth of shopping!"

Videl smiled. Even though she wasn't the type to go out shopping, this seemed like a fair enough deal. "You've got a deal!" Tiny glints of light appeared in Erasa's eyes as her grimace turned into a mischievous smile.

"Alright, so what I know about the Gold Fighter is that he's pretty much indestructible, he can fly, lift buses and he always shows up in the nick of time to save the day, and at his first sighting he was seen wearing an Orange Star High badge." Videl quickly summed up.

"In other words, you know nothing more than last time?" Erasa interrupted with a yawn, qualifying her to receive a scowl. She couldn't help it, she just wasn't as dead-set on unmasking this Hero as her obsessive friend was.

"Just hear me out, OK?" Videl snapped. Erasa gestured with her hands she had locked her mouth and thrown the key away, causing Videl to chuckle. "So far, my biggest suspicion is still Gohan. Now – wait till I'm done." She raised her hand when she saw Erasa raise an eyebrow. "You told me yourself that Gohan sometimes leaves during class, right after I go out on a mission. So there's evidence number one. Secondly, what the heck! He's got bigger muscles than Sharpener! You saw him today!" The image of a very handso- I mean Gohan, vividly came to mind. Videl shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Also, I saw him wipe the floor with Broly during PE. Apparantly, he knows some martial arts..."

Erasa couldn't hold it in any longer. "Come on Videl, you've been suspicious of Gohan since you first laid eyes on him!" she blurted out. "So what if he's ripped, that doesn't necessarily mean he's the Gold Fighter! Gohan probably wears those baggy clothes, because he's too modest or shy to show off!" Erasa realized she had gotten very much into Videl's face, pointing accusingly with her finger. "S-sorry..." she said as she backed off a little.

"Don't fret about it." Videl replied, not feeling mad at all. Lost seemed to be more accurate. "You're right, Erasa. Gohan is very mysterious, and he might kind of fit the profile, yet the more I watch him, the more I start doubting my theory." she admitted to her feet, not really looking her friend in the eye. "Personality-wise they are both completely different. Gohan is very shy, a bit clumsy and kind of a nerd sometimes, no offense." Erasa didn't seem to have a problem with that statement, so she continued. "Yet the Gold Fighter is very serious and confident, and although he doesn't say much you could say he's a bit cocky. They're like polar opposites, unless one of them is putting up a heck of a good facade."

"Gee, I don't know. I don't really think Gohan is faking who he is," Erasa thought out loud. "He's, like, the most sincere guy ever."

Videl had to agree with her. "And then there's another thing. You know how the Gold Fighter is super tough to the point where bullets simply bounce off his skin, right?" Erasa nodded fervently. "In all this time I've seen him fight, I've never seen him have even a scratch on him." Videl continued. The next part was what confused her the most. "Even if Gohan were the Gold Fighter, what I still don't rule out, then how come Gohan had a bloody nose? See it doesn't make any sense..."

Erasa looked at her friend with a somewhat pitying expression. Sure, this was all very mysterious and interesting and stuff, and it was only natural to have a ton of questions. But there was one thing she really was curious about.

"Why do you care so much?"

Videl was totally caught off-guard by that question. "Well... I mean..." she muttered softly. "He can't just run around doing what he does, if we don't even know who he is. For all we know, he might one day turn against us!"

"Do you want to know what _I _think?" Erasa asked, not really waiting for an answer, because it would probably be a no. "_I think_ you want to unmask him so badly, because he might be stronger than your pops, and that means you could date him!"

"W-what!?" Videl exclaimed, unable to prevent her cheeks from reddening. "You're wrong!"

"Oh, come on Videl, just give up already!" Erasa giggled. "How long have we been friends? I know you better than you think I do." Videl felt like a deer in headlights, frozen in place unable to retort. "I see the way you look at some couples in school, or the way you watch romantic movies, even though you profess you dislike them with a passion."

Videl was taken aback by how accurately she was being read, like an open book. For some utterly inexplicable reason Erasa had this gift, which prevented any secrets to exist between the two. Videl trusted her friend, mind you, but she still felt embarrassed. To her, having these kind of feelings was like having a weakness. It made her feel vulnerable and helpless, and it stood in stark contrast to the strong and fearless image she had worked so hard on to maintain.

Erasa noticed her friend's embarrassment, and realized she needed to cheer her up. "Hey, it's OK Videl, it's only natural. I mean, you're eighteen years old, you're smart and strong and you're very beautiful. You deserve a cute boyfriend, and he's out there somewhere."

Videl's eyes brightened up, and she nodded with a small smile. Erasa understood her attempts to inspire hope were appreciated.

'Where ever you are, I'm going to find you.' Videl thought to herself. 'And then I'll show you, dad.' A smirk appeared on her face when she imagined her father's expression when he would find out she had found someone that fit the bill.

"But I still think Gohan is hiding something."


End file.
